How Kennedy Space Center Changed My Daughter’s Life

Kelsey Walters
Aug 18
3 min read

Exploring the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex

When Avery was around four, we took her on her first trip to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Merritt Island. Scott and I had visited before she was born, and it remains a family favorite.

Avery was buzzing with excitement, but grew very quiet as we walked through the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame. As we moved through the portraits in chronological order, she slowly began spotting more female faces. Somewhere around the astronauts of the 1980s and 1990s, she stopped dead in her tracks.

“Wait a second. Girls can be astronauts, too?!” A whole new universe of opportunity was at her fingertips. We realized that despite continued efforts to promote STEM careers and interests to girls in more recent years, there’s still a lack of representation, making some jobs seem like “boy jobs” to the most impressionable young minds.

We spent the rest of that day exploring the possibilities of future space travel and the triumphs and tragedies of the United States space program. Since then, that trip has made an incredible and lasting impression on Avery. It has quite literally changed the trajectory of her life.

This summer, now that she is eight and tells anyone who will listen that she plans to become the first “President Astronaut in Space,” and a pop star in her downtime, we were eager to bring her back.

Meeting Astronaut Susan Kilrain

Admission includes the Astronaut Encounter, offered twice daily, where guests can hear a real astronaut speak about their careers and experiences and ask questions. I found the summer speaker schedule, researched the women on the list, and chose the day Susan Kilrain would be speaking.

Susan is an aerospace engineer and Navy test pilot with more than 3,000 flight hours. She is also one of only three women to pilot the Space Shuttle and was the youngest pilot to do so. After retiring from NASA, she wrote “An Unlikely Astronaut,” a children’s book about succeeding as a woman in a field long dominated by men.

We ordered the book and spent the next month reading it at bedtime, along with stories about other inspiring women like Sally Ride. Avery was delighted to find similarities between herself and Susan, including an early love for math.

Then we surprised Avery with a trip to Kennedy Space Center and the chance to meet the woman she had been admiring. She sat on the edge of her seat as Susan spoke, peppered her with questions about math and space, and had her cherished copy of “An Unlikely Astronaut” signed.

I cannot put into words how my heart exploded as Avery realized Susan was just a few feet away on stage. Watching her take it all in was a moment I will never forget. She’s still repeating stories from Susan’s speech, and the book is displayed proudly in her space-themed bedroom.

More Than Rockets: What Kids Can Discover

Of course, meeting an astronaut is only one part of what makes Kennedy Space Center worth the trip. Bus tours take visitors beyond the main complex to former launch sites, while exhibits explore the Apollo missions, the Space Shuttle program, and the future of space travel to Mars and beyond.

The Rocket Garden places visitors face-to-face with retired rockets that helped shape America’s earliest space missions. Nearby, exhibits featuring today’s technology and plans for future exploration show just how far the space program has come and where it may go next.

There is also an IMAX theater, and kids can burn off energy in a multi-story playground where they bounce between the planets. We tackled hands-on experiments, took a trip into deep space, experienced a simulated shuttle launch, and played a virtual reality game blasting moon rocks.

After four visits, we still have not seen and done it all.

Is Kennedy Space Center Worth Visiting?

After more than a decade of exploring Florida each month, I am often asked about my favorite places. When I mention Kennedy Space Center, I hear the same questions: “Is there really that much to do? Is it worth it?”

My answer is always a resounding YES! It belongs near the top of every Floridian’s must-see list, especially for children eager to learn and explore. You never know what passion one visit might ignite.

Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex

Space Commerce Wy, Merritt Island, FL 32953

(855) 433-4210 | KennedySpaceCenter.com

Open Mon - Fri 9 AM - 5 PM

Photos by Kelsey Walters